Friday, April 1, 2016

B'sue Boutiques Build A Line Challenge Blog Hop 3: The Big Reveal

If you've been following my previous posts, you saw my theme was "black." I thought, "yay, so much leeway!" Then I realized…so much leeway. How do I make the pieces work together?

I decided that on top of pulling from current fashion, I should look back through what I'd done to see if there were any themes, any strong points. I also looked at what I'd ordered lately to see if my mind knew something I didn't. It does that sometimes!

They reminded me of tiles, and suddenly I could see a bistro, open late of course, with the pops of bright reds, hints of sparkle from the lights, and flowers all around. Perhaps a small box garden lining the front of the building…and maybe even a nice, full moon. I could see a female customer, in her flowing, floral skirt and heels, with a butterfly clip in her hair. (Is this my customer, who knows? ;) )

A lovely bow and floral motif, a modest statement necklace, a convertible necklace/bracelet, and one of my favorite butterfly designs modified and made into the colors. Black is hard to photograph! Those centers in the silver flowers in the bottom necklace are actually Siam Swarovski Crystals, but the camera doesn't want you to know that. Here's another view:

"Hang on, where did the color go, and where is that fifth piece?"

(That was Ookie! He's late to our party, but he promises he'll be here tomorrow.

*folds arms and pouts* But I digress.)

The first four above (Sir Fifth Piece not appearing in this film*) are now a sub line I've tentatively dubbed Moonglow Garden. This is because my "second" fifth and sixth pieces came out more like these below. I realized I was making a turn, and that I should just let it flow and see where this went instead.

Did I mention black was hard to photograph?

Okay, with that out of the way, here's the ACTUALMidnight Bistro line!

"Geez, that's a lot, can we zoom?" Clicking the photo should do it.

I used the red and white cabochons I'd initially painted as a bouncing off point. Here are a few before and after pieces:

Slight bit of a difference.

First I added the reds back:

There goes those Siam Swarovskis again. HOW do you photograph them? They're so vibrant in person.

Aha! You have to have direct sun coming from the side.

I had the Peony Cabochon and a certain color in mind...I couldn't wait to use it. I added some soft pink just for good measure. The beads on the leftmost necklace are handmade millifiori beads with tiny pink roses.

"They're so soft, they're soft focus!" Boy, I wish I could show you these colors in person...

(Remember what I said about my mind knowing something I didn't? Look at the Pantone Colors of the Year, there! My Inner Designer was paying attention, and used Rose Quartz and Serenity without my even realizing it. Nice!)

Most pieces had no special backings, but in addition to the one up above, these two pieces below did. Those floral star pieces come in handy here.

I had some good sun today, so I've gotten some better closeups for you:

You can sort of see the variegation I was able to get on the leaves. Painting these was so much fun. You get a better view of the pink millifioris, too. I achieved the glow on the little pink cabochon in the middle pendant by silver leafing the back. It was initially a clear pink piece.

Welp, there's my run-through. Oh wait, I should show you I still have lots to come. Including that pesky Ookie!

I'm still fiddling with that red floral pattern piece.

I might even try some cagework. Yipes!

I would like to thank Brenda Sue Lansdowne for hosting this class; I've learned SO much! Through this class I have come to understand that I'm in an exploratory phase, that I don't need to push myself to bigger business jussssst yet. I'm enjoying the ride. :)

(*We apologize for the unavoidable Monty Python joke.)

PS: Ookie is fashionably late, as always.

I'm playing around, but the idea was too much fun not to try.

Click here to see where the idea originated.
It was fun trying to figure out how to anchor strung pearls without making a small strand for each swag. Can you spot the secret?

Love the black in these pieces, it's not often that you see the black in the chains, filigrees, findings and charms in jewelry, love how your line turned out. It's uniquely beautiful and a little edgy totally something I would wear!!

Beautifully pulled together! I am glad you were able to do the class with us, and I hope you got everything from it that you wanted. This is a great line, very cohesive and not really what I thought I'd see from you, so! I loved the surprise. Just for the record....I did expect it would be well done, no worries! WHOA, it's all of that and a bag of chips! KEEP GOING with this one....it's a winner!

I really like your blog post and your little side comments. Your line is so pretty! I really like hoe you recolored the cameos and your butterfly necklaces are wonderful. I could see myself wearing all of them. Great job!

When you were describing the setting I thought you were going to say a cafe in Paris. You can never beat black and red together. I really enjoyed your post and it goes without saying the jewelry is beautiful.

I have, kind of postponed working with the black findings. I did not have a clear vision of what I wanted to do with them. I found your line inspiring and I could see how flattering black can be. Everything is beautiful....great job!